Mobbed/Bullied at Work

by Kelly Little
(Dallas, TX - USA)

I went to work for (Company Name) a division of (Parent Company Name) in May 2008 and worked there until I was fired on October 17, 2008. I feel over a mat at the front door of the company on July 11 and fractured my ankle and got a head injury. I was out for 2 weeks. When I came back things got really bad for me and my Manager started bullying me. Here is a list of some of the issues I had to deal with:

I was glared at in a hostile manner by the Manager and 3 coworkers that were in her click. Please note that including me there were only 9 employees in the office.

The manager and her cohorts would sometimes storm out of the work area when I entered.

I was not spoken to hardly ever and was completely given the “silent treatment” for a full 2 weeks

I was not given constructive feedback on my job performance. I was only yelled yet and degraded.

I was continuously being treated in a rude and disrespectful manner by the Manager, the 3 co-workers, human resources and after her visit to the Warehouse and Main office from the Credit Team and Warehouse personnel.

I would ask for assistance and would either get no answer, a partial answer or the complete wrong answer.

Was accused of never helping anyone which was a false rumor and none of the other co-workers defended me.

Been given little or no feedback about my performance.

Was yelled at and shouted at in a hostile manner around all the other employees.

Manager made negative comments about your intelligence or competence.

After her visit to the Main office and Warehouse I noticed that they were consistently failing to return my telephone calls or respond to my e-mails unless I made numerous calls or sent numerous e-mails.

Constantly had my contributions ignored and credit given to others.

She had another employee interfering with my work activities by taking files and not answering questions or giving me wrong information.

She lied to me and to Human Resources.

She had others fail to give me information that I really needed to do my job and then I would get into trouble for not doing it.

She constantly was calling the other employees into her office and talking about me and aksing them questions about me. I knew this for a fact when I heard one of the employees say I wonder what time Human Resources is going to get her to see Kelly. I verified with Human Resources that the information regarding their visit was only shared with my Manager.

I was shown NO empathy or sympathy when I was having a tough time. The tougher of a time I was having the worse it got.

I had others destroy or needlessly take resources that I needed to do my job.

I was constantly being accused of deliberately making an errors.

My Manager would throw temper tantrums when disagreeing with me.

I was prevented from expressing myself (for example, interrupted when speaking). When we had the meeting with HR I said to my Manager sometimes I would like to speak and she said "Why you will still be wrong".

Turned other employees against me.

The other 3 employees and Manager would flaunt their status and treat me in a condescending manner.

The Manager was always giving credit to her 3 cohorts for work I had done. But if it was something that was done incorrectly even if it was months before I started there then I was responsible for the mistake and got into trouble for it.

I was constantly reprimanded and “put down” in front of the others.

I suffer from Post Traumatic Stress disorder and I had told the HR department that. Yet they also treated me in the same way and gave me no help and did nothing to protect me. I was pushed over an edge and I did something really stupid. I did not do it as a criminal act but just to upset the Manager. I never believed I was doing anything criminal. I also did not try and cover the fact that I did it because I wasn't thinking it was criminal. I have been honest and upfront when speaking with the police. I will take ownership of the fact that I did it. But I should never have been pushed to that point. I have not even had a traffic ticket since around 1982.

They should not be able to get away with doing to anyone else what they did to me. I know of 4 other people I believe that she has done this to. I am sure there are more I don't know about. She has ruined my life and will continue to ruin others. This has made me think that the only option I have is Death (Not Suicide) so I have quit taking my medications. She brought the Post Traumatic Stress back with a vengeance. I worked really hard to get to a good point where I could deal with everything that has happened to me and she took all that away.

Comments for Mobbed/Bullied at Work

You have been through a terrible ordeal. Some of us are far more effected by mobbing and bullying than others who may be wired less sensitively.

After years of enduring horrible small town leadership mobbing and bullying, and not being able to identify it, I have finally learned that the best way to squelch them is to take legal action. That they understand. Is there any way you could gather some of the other targets and file a class action suite?

Even if you have no money, there are lawyers on the Internet who may be sympathetic to your cause.

I am now a firm believer that bullies should not be coddled and enabled by walking away from them and doing nothing. Let them know in terms they understand--we have to think in new ways to understand their "terms".

Yes, they ruin our lives, our hopes and our dreams. But fortunately, we have the capabilities to rebuild our lives and our broken souls, but most of them do not.

Find others who have gone through the same thing, and build a team to stand up to them, and file the class action suite. Having people who understand to talk to really helps a lot to build courage to face the mobbers.

Please don't let the bullies wear you down. Or destroy your life. They are not worth dying for.

I am going through the same thingby: April Lisa

I am being bullied at my job by my bosses. It was never like that before until recently. It is like night and day. I was always berated and put down in front of customers and got in trouble for things I didn't do. I had started a relationship with a co-worker who doesn't directly work in my area and they are trying to turn him against me. They make me feel like I am stupid and can't do my job right and it has effect my work performance that it gives them the satisfaction to use it against me. I was told to go to HR to complain about it but I am afraid that they will do something to make my life miserable. I wish there was someone who can help me.

You're not aloneby: Anonymous

The LAST thing you should do is let them beat you down. I would definitely seek the assistance of a lawyer. You made a mistake, but were pushed into it by getting repeatedly abused.

I've been through the mobbing ordeal myself. It feels like you are completely helpless. Those of us who know what mobbing is need to stick together and fight back by getting the word out to legislators and make it as illegal and unwanted in the workplace as sexual harassment. Everyone should try contacting their HR office the second they become aware of mobbing and document everything.

Mobbing is abuse that employers use to push people out. It isn't right.

bullying / mobbingby: Anonymous

I had both of these done to me in a City Agency and no one would do anything. Four people quit (including myself) in an 8 month period. Why are these employees allowed to continue this behavior? In 25 years, I have never seen anyone allowed to behave this way. It has always been the bullies who got disciplined. NM is stuck in the 20th century and needs to change their way of thinking. No wonder this state has so much corruption. Almost as much as Mexico.